Bravo! Clear, concise, and exactly what I was hoping for (even with the tricky switch of pics....) I can already think of several photos that might desaturate well.

First thing tomorrow I'll begin my local search for masking fluid...and if that goes as well as expected, I'll return to the computer to find a distributor who will ship masking fluid to central Japan! Thanks for the inspiration!

These are just fantastic...I've been intrigued by this medium for some time, but haven't really been happy with my own lame attempts. Do you use some sort of liquid masking medium? And, would you consider putting together a tutorial?

Absolutely, positively, fantastic!!! Your tale of feline-human relations was entertaining enough sans pictures, but the expressive face of poor Oreo and the gorgeous end result of your button-wrangling is just priceless. Thank you so much for sharing...and inspiring!

(There is a massive box of buttons sitting in my studio that may be destined for a similar fate, now.)

He does look a bit too kind in the mouth, but his red eyes are perfectly evil. What about adding some embroidered fangs to emphasize his mouth or flared nostrils? I was just looking at an old frog doll and thinking of converting it to a Kappa!

I get that. I suppose it would only be vitriolic in this part of the world, anyway. Everywhere else it is a great graphic and more iconic than anything else.

It differs slightly from the random usage of the British flag in that it was flown by the navy...and that navy's actions were not exactly sanctioned by the Japanese citizens, or even the imperial government of the time...I have Chinese and Korean friends who liken it to the flag of the Third Reich.

(And having typed that, I think of my Scottish and Irish brethren who feel similarly about said Union Jack, so maybe you are making the same statement, after all. )

At least you have all the info now, in case someone asks, "what are you wearing?"

uh...the style of the dress is great, and the fit is nice, but you should probably know a little more about what you are wearing....

you see, it is not actually the flag of Japan, the country. it is the military ensign flag of the Imperial Navy in Japan, and it still possesses a negative connotation to the surrounding countries which were occupied by Japanese forces. that flag was banned for a long time after world war 2 and even now it is only flown here (yup, I've lived in central Japan since '94) by people wanting to make a political statement.

Even when it is used in manga and anime, it is making a statement.

it kind of gave me a shock to see it, honestly, otherwise I would have kept quiet...but then I thought maybe I should let you know so you could at least make a conscious choice about it. This is totally not intended as a criticism, I just know I like to know exactly what I am wearing.